Large-Scale Molten Seas Were Present On Moon Long After Early Moon Cooled Say Brown University Planetary Scientists Led By Grad Student William Vaughan; Data Shows 355-km Wide, 9.6-km Deep Sea Of Melted Rock Was Formed By Impact; 30 Large Lunar Impact Basins Produced About 100 Million Cubic Km Of Melt, Making Up 5% Of Moon Crust; May Account For Puzzling Findings From Lunar Samples
Image Credit: NASA, Brown University
Robert Bigelow Confirms Desire To Help Develop Lunar Base; Robert Richards Discusses Moon Express Mission, Implications And Value Of Lunar Mining; Golden Spike Company Conducting Video Contest As Part Of Indiegogo Fundraising Campaign; Canadian Space Commerce Association Head Says Off-World Mining Will One Day Surpass Earth Mining, Suggests Adding Tax Benefits To Start Up Companies
Image Credit: NASA, Moon Express, Bigelow Aerospace, Golden Spike Co.
Hawaii Spaceport Initiative Is Back On The Table According To Hawaii State Representative Cindy Evans; Unhindered Flight Paths, Optimal Latitude For Launch To Moon & Beyond, Cultural Heritage Of Exploration / Navigation Make Hawaii Best Place In World For Spaceport; Separate UH-Hilo Sponsored Initiative Would Develop Hawaii Island Office To Provide Ground Support For Moon-Exploring Robots
Image Credit: NASA, SpaceX, hawaii.gov
Russia Scientists Developing 3 Probes To Analyze Surface Of Moon In Preparation For Building Human Moon Base; Planning To Send 120-kg Luna-Glob 1 To Polar Orbit 2015, Luna-Glob 2 By 2016, Landing Module & Rover 2017; Then Build Robotic Base & Human Base; Igor Mitrofanov Head Of Lunar Program At Space Research Institute (IKI) Says Moon Is Important Part Of Future Of Civilization; Goal Is To Use Moon To Access Mars, Solar System, Universe
Image Credit: NASA, Eisenhower Institute
German Research Centers ZARM & DFKI Robotics Innovation Center Developing Robotic System For Lunar Crater Exploration; RIMRES (Reconfigurable Integrated Multi-Robot Exploration System) Project Consists Of 2.4-m / 200-kg SHERPA Rover (R) Which Uses Hybrid Wheel-Leg System To Transport 1-m / 27-kg CREX Hexapod Robot (L) Capable Of Descending 80⁰ Crater Slopes, Conduct Science Investigations; All Modules Connected Via Electromechanical Interface
Image Credit: DFKI, ZARM
Microsymposium 54, 16-17 Mar, To Feature Summary Of New Lunar Exploration Discoveries, Implications For Future Robotic & Human Missions To Lunar Poles & Far Side; 1,945 Oral / Poster Presentations On Latest Research In Planetary Science Expected At 18-22 Mar LPI / USRA Lunar & Planetary Science Conference, Features Special Session On GRAIL Mission Results; Both Events At The Woodlands, TX
Image Credit: LPI, NASA, Brown University
Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project Crowd Funding To Continue Work Restoring Imagery From 1960s Moon Missions; Team Led By Dennis Wingo Has Created Over 600 Images & Processed Over 20 Terabytes Of Data, Still Have Over 700 Remaining Tape Drives / 850 Images To Process; Donations Received Will Be Used To Purchase 5 New Tape Drive Heads, Pay Engineering Team
Image Credit: LOIRP, Rockethub.com
China Progressing Steadily On Clearly Defined / Consistently Executed Space Plan; Chang’e-2 Arrival In Outer Space 20M km From Earth Is Breakthrough For China Deep Space Exploration; 5th China Human Spaceflight Set For Jun~Aug 2013; China Upgrades Long March-3B Rocket For Late 2013 Chang’e-3 Lunar Lander Mission, Increasing Carrying Capacity By 30 kg & Allowing For Additional Launch Windows
Image Credit: CNSA, 33rdsquare.com, news.xinhuanet.com
Shackleton Energy COO Jim Keravala, To Be Featured At 2013 CSCA National Conference, Says Water Estimated At Moon North Pole Could Fuel A Shuttle Launch Every Day For 2,200 Years; Company Plans To Create Fuel Depot Stations On Moon & In LEO By 2020; Will Launch 2 Robotic Prospectors To Lunar Poles By 2016; If Resource Extraction For Propellant Appears Profitable Will Send 6-12 Humans To Surface To Establish Base
Image Credit: J. Keravala/Shackleton Energy
INSPIRE Mission Among 24 Small Satellites Selected By NASA To Fly As Auxiliary Payloads In 2014-2016; Dual 3U INSPIRE CubeSats Will Be 1st To Travel Beyond Earth Orbit, Demonstrating Functionality In Interplanetary Space; Relatively Affordable (~US$3M) Moon Missions By Universities & Private Organizations Likely To Follow; LunarCubes Missions Briefing 11 April 2013 At NASA KSC
Image Credit: NASA